To Death and Back Again
by Mario and BFDI Bros
Summary: This is an one-shot alternate ending of the Battle of Mewni. In a last-ditch effort to save Marco, Star uses the Whispering Spell. With them both stuck inside Ludo, can they make it out? And they might want to work out what happened before Star left for Mewni.
1. To Death and Back Again

"C'mon Marco!" Princess Star Butterfly called after her best friend, Marco Diaz, who she had recently confessed a crush to.

Star turned the corner to find Ludo. Exactly who she had set out to find. He was causing all the chaos in Mewni, and needed to be stopped.

"It's over, Ludo," Star said as she and Marco came into view.

"Now is it?" he asked, seemingly dumbfounded. "Maybe you have forgotten something."

While Ludo was distracted, Marco rushed to him. Before he could make it, Ludo aimed his hand at Marco, shouting "Levitato!"

Marco's feet left the ground. Struggling, he was brought into the air by the spell. A green cloud of magic connected to the half of a star in Ludo's hand enveloped him. Ludo flicked his hand, severing the spell from his hand. "Now that he's out of the way, I can deal with you!"

Star was unfazed. "Super Narwhal Blast!"

Over the sound of the water and narwhals gushing from her wand, she heard Ludo shout, "Reflecto!"

The narwhals parted, landing on either side of him. They soon dissipated as the spell wore off.

"You see, Star, I managed to add another spell to my collection!" Ludo bragged.

"Yes, your large collection of two," Star retorted flatly. Then, putting all her strength into it even managing to "dig down" a little bit, she shouted, "Rainbow Punch!" The rainbow fist soared at Ludo. He uttered again his new spell, send in the fist back at Star. Before she could get out of the way, she was pummeled by her own spell, which hit her with such force that she did an entire backflip in the air, landing in a crouch, but falling to her back, groaning. So that is what it feels like to get Rainbow Punched.

Star managed to stand, albeit on wobbly legs, and cast another spell. "Warnicorn Stampede!" However, she fell down while doing the intricate dance required to complete the spell. She ended up summoning twenty fluffy, pastel-colored unicorns that charged Ludo, but were dispelled by Ludo's charm.

Coolly, the kappa said, "Did I forget to mention, there is no air in Marco's Levitato spell." He shrugged casually. "Maybe I'll find a way around it in the future."

Star turned to see Marco choking and gasping for air. He seemed to be in trouble. "Put him down, Ludo," she commanded.

"Oh, I'm not planning on voluntarily breaking that spell anytime soon. I guess you'll just have to make me. And I can sustain anything but a very powerful spell," he bragged back.

Star knew the spell she had to use. She hated to have to do this to the little villain, but he had left her no choice. Closing her eyes and holding up her wand, she recited:

I call upon the forces of darkness To rip this creature of his life

Tears were springing up in her eyes, which she now opened. She felt a strange sensation in her arms, but kept her gaze locked on Ludo. She continued.

To send him to the world of death So he may never show his face upon the world again I call upon you… to kill this mortal.

A huge beam of green light rushed toward Ludo. Star heard him scream, "Reflecto!"

The spell started to penetrate his shield. Star could see the spell slowly breaking through. Ludo closed his eyes and grit his teeth and beak, putting everything he had into the spell. The spell slingshotted out, hitting Marco directly in the chest. He fell, hitting the ground with a _thud_. Out of desperation, Star made up a spell: "Super Healing Spell!" The spell healed some minor scratches but did nothing about the death curse he had on him. Star ran over to him, kneeling beside him. "Marco! No, no, this is all my fault!"

"It's okay," he managed to get out, "how long do I have?"

"According to the spell description, one minute and two and a half seconds after the spell hits you." As she said it, she saw with horror that his eyes were already fading to black, just like the members of the Magic High Commission, except Marco had no chance of coming back. Star started to cry openly. "I can't do this without you, Marco."

"Naw, you're a magical fourteen-year-old princess. You can handle Toffee." He smiled.

"No, by _this_ , I meant life."

Marco frowned. Silence followed.

"Star, you have to hold on. Don't make both of us die because of this. You still have a great life to live!"

"No, I don't," she wept, "not without you." She collapsed into him. However, the gears in her mind had started turning as she thought back to the last time she saved Marco from certain death. She remembered Toffee's voice: "It is the first spell your mother taught you."

That was it. It was the only way to save Marco. As a plus, Toffee would be out of Ludo's hand. The whole kingdom would benefit. She had to do it, because it was the only way to save Marco, and it was carrying out duties she would have as Queen to protect the kingdom. She stood up. "Ludo…" She was surprised to find him on his knees with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Star, I really am. I know it must seem like I am unfeeling, but I am sincerely sad for him. He was a good kid. I never meant for this to happen." He was racked by another round of high-pitched sobs. Star realized something. That was the first time Ludo had called her by her name.

Star sat down next to the crying ex-villain. "Ludo, I could forgive you."

He looked up. "Really?"

"If this works, I might be able to bring Marco back, and it'll get Toffee out of your hand."

"Is that who I've been talking to?"

"Yes."

"Do it."

Star glanced back at Marco, and immediately wished she hadn't. All that she could see now were his pupils, which were slightly darker than the black enveloping them.

With Ludo's hand in hers, she whispered as fast as she possibly could.

Exactly one minute and two seconds after Marco had been hit by the spell, Ludo's hand and Star's wand exploded.

…

After the green of the explosion dissipated, Star found herself in an ocean of the green slime from the sanctuary. The sky was nearly the same color. The only thing breaking up the view was what looked like a portal high up in the sky. In the portal showed the room we were just in. "Where are we?" Marco exclaimed.

Star was at first relieved to see that he was okay, but her face fell as she answered the question. "We're inside Ludo."

"Why is it so… disgusting and goopy?"

"That's Toffee. He's in here with us."

"Wait, you're saying we're swimming in Toffee right now?"

"Yes, we-"

Star was interrupted by a sound coming from the sky. The two looked up to see Star's parents crashing into the room.

"Ludo, what have you done with my daughter?" Queen Moon demanded.

On the outside, Ludo's eyes changed to completely pink as Star talked. "Mom! Dad! It's me, Star!"

The King and Queen became worried when Ludo's eyes changed to baby blue, but were more relieved when they heard Marco's voice. "And I - Marco - am in here, too!"

"How did you get in there?" River questioned.

Ludo's eyes reverted to pink. "Well, I sort of cast the Whispering Spell to save Marco."

"No kidding!" Star's mother replied angrily, "do you know what damage you've done?"

"I'm trying to bring down Toffee, or at least get him out of Ludo!"

"Okay, well, we're right here with you-" Queen Moon was cut off when Ludo's eyes changed to neon green.

"Hand it over," Ludo a.k.a. Toffee stated, "or you'll never see your daughter again."

As if to prove it, a huge swell rose up on Star and Marco, engulfing them in the sludge. They barely managed to fight their way to the air, gasping once they did. Then they saw a huge figure covered in - no, made up of the green muck. He looked vaguely like Toffee, his head and two claws visible.

Outside Ludo's body, Moon continued, "What do you want?"

"Oh, you know what I want."

Realization dawned upon Moon. "Your finger," she breathed.

Ludo nodded.

Sighing, she brought out the said finger. Before giving it to him, she said, "Will you really let Star go? And the Earth boy, I suppose."

"I never go back on a promise."

As Star watched her mother extend her hand with the finger in it, she shouted, "No, Mom! Don't do it! We can manage!"

Her mother didn't hear her, only hearing Toffee's voice. She gave him his finger, and Ludo attached it to his wand-hand. Ludo's skin color started to change. The new color spread to the rest of the body. When it reached Ludo's neck, his head was thrown into such an extreme angle that it must have snapped his neck.

Impossibly, Toffee stood in front of them, with a surprised look on his face. He gagged, then spit out a beaten Ludo, whose eyes were bloodshot. He looked pretty bad.

"Where are Star and Marco?" the Queen demanded.

Moon had seen Toffee several times, but she had never seen the look on his face he gave her now: utter confusion. If Toffee, the evil mastermind, was confused, something had gone terribly wrong.

Toffee looked at the now-black half of a star embedded in his palm. He closed his hand, pulverizing the star. "They're gone."

"No!" the Queen shouted, her eyes tearing up, "no! Star! This is all your fault, Toffee!" Full of rage, she picked up Star's wand and recited the immortal death spell given to her by Eclipsa. Nothing happened. The wand was dysfunctional. The only thing Moon gained from uttering the spell was more veins turning a horrid purple color. River stood, watching, as silent tears rolled down his face.

Star and Marco were swimming around the ocean of Toffee aimlessly, trying to get somewhere, anywhere, until Star's hearts glowed gold, and she spotted a tiny speck of gold in the sludge. She swam toward it desperately, Marco following. It disappeared before she could reach it. She frustratingly repeated the process several times.

"Star, this isn't getting us anywhere."

"We can't just give up!" Star's heats turned gold again. She looked around, not seeing the spot, until she spotted it directly underneath her. With the power of both her and Marco's kicks, Star managed to get there before it disappeared. She closed her hands around it, but too late. The magic had already disappeared. Frustrated and discouraged, Star let herself gulp up some of the vile liquid. Marco couldn't hold his breath any longer either, and did the same. The two bodies closed their eyes and their bodies went limp. The two unconscious bodies, holding hands, descended into the darkness.

Star bolted upright. The first thing she saw was Marco, who wasn't awake. His chest moved up and down with each slow breath, meaning that he was alive. Star quickly realized that they were holding hands and this was the closest they had ever slept before - if drowning and waking up from unconsciousness counted as sleeping. Although Star kind of liked being close to him, she scooted away to prevent awkwardness. _Stop thinking those thoughts!_ she told herself, _Marco will never be with you…_ The thought brought tears to her eyes. She scooted back toward Marco, hoping he wouldn't wake up and notice. Their bodies touch, and Star couldn't help but put an arm around him. She squeezed her eyes shut and held onto the moment, trying to etch every detail of how it felt into her brain. Then Marco shifted. Star quickly moved away from him, and Marco was too half-asleep to realize what Star had done. Star tried to look away from Marco, but her eyes kept flitting back to him. She finally found something to catch her attention, and suddenly wished she hadn't. There was a cauldron containing boiling soup, and a traitor.

"Where are we, Glossaryck?" she demanded.

"I have no idea," he responded casually, "no one has ever been here before."

"No, that means-"

"We died," Marco finished for her.

"Well, if you're dead, then I'm dead," Glossaryck figured, not really seeming to care, "and if you're calling me dead, I find it… well I find it a little insulting, frankly."

Star was stressing and pulling on her bangs. "We're totally dead. And we're stuck with… you!"

"Again, a little insulting."

"You _betrayed_ me!"

"Look, Star, I'm sorry, and I have a good reason. Maybe we can sit here and chat about it."

"No way, Glossaryck. I don't want to hear your filthy excuses. P"

"Alright, suit yourself, then."

Marco butted in on the conversation. "Star, can we talk?" he asked softly.

"Of course, anything to distract me from _him_!"

"More than a little insulting," the mentioned creature noted. He was ignored as Marco lead Star away.

Once they were out of earshot (they guessed; they had no idea how well Glossaryck could hear), Marco started. "This is a really bad time to bring it up, but it's the only chance I'll ever have, so… about the other night at the after school party… you were wrong, Star."

Star processed this, not quite understanding. "How could you know how I felt or didn't?"

Marco took her hand. "I should be asking you that question."

It all came together for Star. "So, you… you have a… crush on me?" She said crush tentatively, as if saying it would dispel the notion.

"I wouldn't say that." Star was taken by surprise by Marco's answer. She just realized that their faces were only inches apart. She hasn't moved. "I'd go as far as to day…" He scratched the back of his head. _Now or never, literally_. "I love you."

Star was taken aback. "I-I do, too." She went in for the biggest hug she had ever given, but realized Marco had other ideas when his lips collided with hers. Star's eyes went wide, but she didn't resist. She finished her hug, not breaking their lips apart. He returned the embrace. Star felt warmth from his lips, from everywhere their bodies touched, actually. She pressed closer to him, receiving more of that warmth. Marco's hands wandered up to her face, where he held the hearts on her cheeks in his palms. The hearts were bright red and bigger than normal. Meanwhile, Star' hands found the zipper of his hoodie and pulled it down. Marco became a bit worried - he hadn't meant this to go farther than a kiss - but Star only wrapped her arms around the T-shirt underneath. It was better. He received more of that warmth from Star, and so did she. He would feel even more of it if there was even less boundary between Star and his skin - but no, that was going to far. This should be genuine, not lustfull.

On that note, he pulled away. "No matter what happens after this, or if we never see each other again in heaven, just know… I love you. Even if we don't make it home."

Star responded, "I love you," and squeezed him tighter.

They were interrupted by a voice neither had wanted to hear. "My, my, so tender!" Glossaryck wiped away fake tears. "Why don't we celebrate with some soup?"

"I don't want to sit here and eat your dumb magical soup!" Star exclaimed.

Leading them back to the cauldron, Glossaryck insisted, "It's not magical. It's just…soup."

"You think I'm just going to sit here while Toffee's out there doing who knows what?"

"Star…"

"My parents probably think we're dead."

"Star…"

"What if we are dead? We are, aren't we?" The latter question was directed at Narco, who didn't respond.

"Star! This is where we are now. And this soup, it's not magical anymore, it's just soup. So stop being foolish and eat the soup."

Before Star could react, he stuck a full ladle into her mouth. She immediately spit it out.

"More salt?" Glossaryck asked.

"Stop. I get what you're doing."

He responded back, seemingly unpleased, "Mm-hm, what am I doing?"

"This is just another one of your games! You're going out of your way just to make me get this on my own. You didn't think I'd catch on, Glossaryck, did you? You think I'm a skimmer, but I'm a dipper!"

"Star, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting us out of here."

"Star, no! It's boiling!"

Her hearts glowed gold and she saw a round, gold object at the bottom. Star prepared to shove her arms into the pot. "Dip-"

"Wait! Star, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Of course not, stop trying to distract me."

"I mean… some _one_."

Star's fingertips just touched the broth before she brought them back out. "Ouch!"

The wizard responded flatly, "I told you it was boiling." He paused. "But you saw through it. I'm proud, Star."

"Why, thank you!" Star said triumphantly. "Now" -she rubbed her chin- "how do I get both of us out of here?"

"You can't use any transportation spells or dimensional scissors in here."

Star looked up when she felt Marco's hand resting on her shoulder. "You have to go," Marco whispered.

"No, Marco, I can't leave you here!"

"I'll be fine."

"No you won't! And even if you did, I told you I couldn't live without you. If we can't both get out, I'm staying and rotting here with you."

"Star, be strong. Mewni needs you."

"Mewni must be in ruins by now!"

His grip tightened, and he clamped his other hand on Star's other shoulder. "I will push you."

"No! You can't make me use my magic."

"Well, I'm not a magic know-it-all like Glossaryck…"

Glossaryck. It wasn't likely, but he might give them what they needed. "Glossaryck…" Star started, "is there any way to get both of us out?"

"Well, since you asked, there is. Even though there shouldn't be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the most I'll tell you is that you're the only Butterfly who ever lived that is able to escape here with another."

 _What can I do that no one else can?_ One thing came to mind. Glossaryck again, mildly interested as I reached through the All-Seeing Eye spell. "I have never seen that before." That was it. The All-Seeing Eye. Then she could reach through and take Marco along with her. No one else could do that. She stuck her hands into the cauldron, finding the piece of magic inside. Her butterfly wings stared to grow, bug she held them back, forcing the magic to instead perform the spell:

I call upon the All-Seeing Eye To tear a hole into the sky To reveal to me that which is hidden To unveil to me that which is forbidden.

The spell showed Star her room. Keeping the magic clasped inside her hand, she touched the portal. Concentrating, she stuck her and into it and managed to stretch it back. But it wasn't enough. She couldn't push through. But she had to. She thought of Marco, of everything they had done together, ending with the kiss. Her eyes turned gold and her hand broke through. "Marco! Now!" This cued Marco to sprint toward the hole, jamming his hand through it and lurching it around until he made a space large enough to dive through. He did so, landing on Star's bed and opening the hole wider. As it started to close, she looked at Glossaryck. He said he had an explanation… She could forgive him. At least, enough to bring him back to life. I repeated the words I had uttered to him weeks ago in almost the same situation. "Glossaryck, grab my hand."

He extended his blue palm toward her. She took it, and the two leaped through the spell just as it collapsed. The only thing that hadn't made it through was Glossaryck's ladle, which had been stripped from his hand by the shrinking hole. "My ladle," he pouted.

Marco spoke up. "We just brought you back from death, and _that's_ what you're worried about?"

Star just laughed. "Classic Glossaryck!" She held his blue body in her palm. "I'm glad you're back."

"I am as well," he confirmed, smiling.

But neither Star nor Marco was all right. However, they both knew who they needed. The two hugged tighter than they ever had before, gaining strength from each other.

"Well," Marco said, "we officially just came back from the dead."

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this! I'm not quite sure how it went, since this is my first one-chapter story, so please tell me what you think! There may be some spelling or grammar errors because I really wanted to upload this right when I finish. As time goes on, those errors should start being corrected.**


	2. Thank You & My Thoughts

**Wow! I had no idea this story would take off how it did! 115 views in the first day is incredible to me! Thank you all for reading this story and I hope you're enjoying it. Don't worry, there will be more SVTFOE coming soon!**

 **A special thanks to Sally B. McGill, who was the first to favorite, and did so within the first 12 hours!**

 **Abbydobby, since you disabled PMs, I'll thank you here for the support!**

 **Feedback/criticism would be greatly appreciated, so please review with your thoughts!**

 **Once again, thank you for the support and I will continue to write SVTFOE.**

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 **The cover (once it's up) is my art, tell me how it is!**

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 **Now, let's talk about the story a little. The reason I created this was to tie up the loose ends with Star and Marco's relationship. And you only realize just how much you love someone when you may never see them again. Obviously, I'm a Starco fan, and you'll see that in my other stories. I don't think their relationship would actually happen this fast, but if this situation did occur... especially with Star on the other end, it just might. I also wanted to make a powerful scene with Marco kind of dying. I have a feeling this scene wasn't as great as I had envisioned it when I put it down on paper, but let me know what you think. This is my first one-chapter short story; let me know how it went!**

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 **I want to mention JolleIQ (** f*a*n*f*i*c*t*i*o*n*.*n*e*t/u/6784881/ [remove *] **). He (yes, he is male) is probably my favorite author on the site and has a boatload of Star vs. the Forces of Evil stories.**

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 **One last thing: look for my AU Star vs. the Forces of Evil fanfic, _The Chosen One_.**

 **Wow, I rambled for a while. :)**


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